Bosnia and Herzegovina: Austrian Rule

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1 November 1906. Definitive issue: the scenery of Bosnia and Herzegovina and an effigy of Francis Joseph I. Printed in line engraving, paper grayish, gum white and thin. Stamps with brownish gum exist and are rare. Panes consist of 50 (10 x 5) stamps.

Multiple perforations applied within a single pane.

Perforations

Stamps from this issue exist in many combinations of perforations. According to Fleck (1941: 49) it was first decided that the stamps should be perforated in line perforations 12½ and 9¼ but at the very start, the 6½ perforation was also being used. 10½ perforation was used later.

Parallel mixed perforations (parallel sides are the same perforated) are:

• 6½: 9¼ and the opposite,
• 6½: 12½ and the opposite,
• 9¼: 10½ and the opposite,
• 9¼: 12½ and the opposite,
• 12½: 10½ and the opposite,

Apart from these many combinations of multiple perforations exist. According to Fleck (1941: 49) there are 142 combinations. Imperforate, double perforated, and partially imperforate stamps also exist, vertically imperforate examples are rare.

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
1	Double perforation.

1 November 1914. The first war charity issue, stamps overprinted with the year mark 1914 in letterpress in red color. Printed in sheets of 50 (10 x 5).

TYPES AND SUBTYPES OF OVERPRINTS
Types: numeral 4			Subtypes: numeral 1
Narrow 4	Wide 4	Open 4	Long serif on top, short line at the bottom	Short serif on top, short line at the bottom	Serif on top, long line at bottom
Type I	Type II	Type III	Subtype VII	Subtype VIII	Subtype IX
Three types are distinguished by numerals “4” in “1914”: narrow 4 appears 42 times in a sheet, wide 4 appears 7 times (1., 17., 22., 26., 27., 34. and 36. stamp) and open 4 appears once, on the 29th stamp in a sheet.			Subtypes are distinguished by numerals “1”: Type VII: thin number 1 with a bent flag and short horizontal line at the bottom appears 29 times on values 7/5 heller and 42 times on 12/10 stamp, Type VIII: thin number 1 with short serif and a short horizontal line at the bottom appears 4 times on 7/5 heller and once on 12/10 heller stamp. Type IX: thick number 1 with the long horizontal line at the bottom appears 17 times on 7/5 Heller and 7 times on 12/10 Heller stamp.

7 heller on 5 heller, subtypes
Narrow 4
IX-VII	VIII-IX	VIII-VII	VIII-VIII	VII-IX	VII-VII
	Wide 4		Open 4
VII-VIII	VII-IX	VII-VII	VII-VI
12 heller on 10 heller, subtypes
Narrow 4
IX-VIII-VIII	VIII-IX-VII	VIII-VIII-VII	VIII-VII-VII	VII-IX-VII	VII-VIII-VII
				Wide 4
VII-VII-VIII	VII-VII-VII	VII-VIII-VIII	VIII-VIII-VIII	VIII-IX-VII	VII-VII-VII
	Open 4
VII-VII-VIII	VII-VII-VII

A. CONSTANT VARIETIES AND TYPES APPEARING ON BOTH VALUES
I		The horizontal line in “H” is in the middle and the left vertical line is short.
		Field №: 35	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: also on the 10 heller stamp
		Value €: –
II		Indentation in the top left square.
		Field №: 2, 7	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: also on the 10 heller stamp.
		Value €: –
III		The second “1” is thin.
		Field №: 12	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: also on the 10 heller stamp
		Value €: –
IV		Second “1” is lowered.
		Field №: 14	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: on the 10 heller stamp is the distance between 1914. and 12 Heller wider (2 ¾ mm instead of 1 ¼ mm).
		Value €: –
V		Deformed dot after 1914.
		Field №: 17	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: also on the 10 heller stamp.
		Value €: –
VI		The first “l” in “Heller” is thin.
		Field №: 23	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: also on the 10 heller stamp
		Value €: –
VII		Numeral 4 is damaged on the left.
		Field №: 26	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: also on 10 heller stamp.
		Value €: –
VIII		Damaged lower left square.
		Field №: 38	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: also on 10 heller stamp. Another example.
		Value €: –
IX		Small dot after 1914.
		Field №: 44	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: also on 10 heller stamp.
		Value €: –
B. CONSTANT VARIETIES AND TYPES APPEARING ONLY ON ONE OF THE VALUES
7 heller on 5 heller, dark green, overprint red
I		The letter “r” in “Heller” shifted upwards.
		Field №: 16	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
II		Short 7.
		Field №: 36	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
III		A mark below the lower left square.
		Field №: 40	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
IV		The second “l” in “Heller” is larger.
		Field №: 42	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
V		The lower left square is damaged on the right.
		Field №: 48	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
VI		Broken first “1”.
		Field №: 6	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
VII		Cutaway Heller and printer’s block before the right squares.
		Field №: 10	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: also without printer’s block.
		Value €: –
VIII		The second “l” in “Heller” is thin.
		Field №: 24	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
IX		Dot after 1914 is missing.
		Field №: 30	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
X		The first “1” in “1914” is thick.
		Field №: 32	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
XI		The letter “r” in “Heller” is damaged.
		Field №: 33	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
12 heller on 10 heller, carmine, overprint red
I		Damaged first row of the overprint.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
II		A cut in the “1” in “12”.
		Field №: 6	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
III		The lower left square is open on the right.
		Field №: 7	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
IV		The upper left square is open on the top.
		Field №: 11	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: –
V		Squares are positioned lower.
		Field №: 16	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
VI		Broken base of the first “1” in “1914”.
		Field №: 21	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
VII		The second letter “l” in “Heller” is thick.
		Field №: 24	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
VIII		Large 2.
		Field №: 25	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
IX		Printer’s block before the left squares.
		Field №: 33	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
X		Dot after 1914 is set lower.
		Field №: 36	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –
XI		Small dot after 1914.
		Field №: 44	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: –

UNLISTED VARIETIES
12 heller on 10 hellers, carmine, overprint red
1	The first “1” in “1914” thin.
2	Three types of number “2” in “12 Heller”.

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
12 heller on 10 hellers, carmine, overprint red
A	Double overprint
B	Offset
C	Shifted overprint
D	Inverted overprint
E	Color smudge

15 October 1915. The third war charity issue. Stamps with the effigy of Francis Joseph stamps, issued in 1912, overprinted with year mark 1915 in letterpress in red and blue colors. Printed in sheets of 100 (10 x 10).

CONSTANT VARIETIES
7 heller on 5 heller, green, overprint red
I		“1915” instead of “7 Heller”, appears on the 49th field
II		Spacing between rosettes and 1915: 1½ mm., 2½ mm.
12 heller on 10 hellers, carmine, overprint blue
I		“7 Heller” instead of “12 Heller”, appears on the 16th filed.
II		Thin and thick numbers “2” in “12 Heller”

UNLISTED VARIETIES
12 heller on 10 hellers, carmine, overprint blue
1	Four types of overprints depending on the widths of the lines in the overprint: first line 16 mm; second line 14 mm, first line 16 mm; second line 16 mm, first line 18 mm; second line 14 mm, first line 18 mm; second line 16 mm.

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
7 heller on 5 heller, green, overprint red
A	Horizontally shifted overprint

19 January 1916. The fourth war charity issue. Stamps with the effigy of Francis Joseph stamps, issued in 1912, overprinted with year mark 1916 in letterpress in red and blue colors. Printed in sheets of 100 (10 x 10).

CONSTANT VARIETIES
7 heller on 5 heller, green, overprint red
I		Thin and thick numbers “7” in “7 Heller”.
II		Dot after “7 Heller” missing.
12 heller on 10 heller, carmine, overprint blue
I		Thin and thick number “2” in “12 Heller”

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
1	Horizontally shifted overprint
2	Inverted overprint

28 June 1917. Commemorative issue upon the third year from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophia in Sarajevo. Designed by Cossmann, printed in letterpress, perforation 12½, 11½ and imperforate.

UNLISTED VARIETIES
15 heller + 2 hellers, claret
A	A scar on Archduke’s face.

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
1	Double impression

1 September 1918. Provisional issue. Stamps of 2 hellers from the Commemorative issue and 2 hellers from the first Francis Joseph issue overprinted with red overprint 1918 in letterpress.

Due to the increase of postage fees for postal stationery cards from 8 to 10 heller, there was a need for additional 2 heller stamps.

Stamp	Circulation
2 heller, violet	100.000 (?)
2 heller, light blue	300.000

CONSTANT VARIETIES APPEARING ON BOTH VALUES			Field number
I		Damaged number 8 in the overprint, which makes it look like 3. (Note: the example on the left has inverted overprint.)	41
II		First numeral 1 in 1918 rotated to the left.	44

SUSPICIOUS AND SPECULATIVE OVERPRINTS APPEARING ON BOTH VALUES
1	Inverted overprints.
2	Double overprints.
3	Double head to tail overprints.

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
A	Red smear on the left side (printer’s block).

 

References

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Bibliography

1. Fleck, Vladimir (1941): Priručnik Maraka Hrvatskih Zemalja, Book 1, Tome 1, Hrvatski Filatelistički Savez, Zagreb
2. Katalog poštanskih maraka jugoslovenskih zemalja (1991), Jugomarka (Belgrade). YU ISSN 0351-4447

Contributors

Some of the images on this page were contributed by mag. Boštjan Petauer FRPSL.